A bill to lift gun restrictions in the District of Columbia could be the key to political survival for Texas congressman Nick Lampson and other red-state Democrats.

As fall elections approach, these House members in traditionally Republican districts hope to appeal to conservative voters by pushing a bill that would eliminate D.C.’s restrictions on gun ownership.

After the Supreme Court ruled in June that the city’s gun ban was unconstitutional, district officials adopted strict regulations for selling and registering handguns and promised to enforce a separate ban on semiautomatic weapons. Critics say these measures violate the court’s ruling by hindering people from buying firearms.

Mr. Lampson, who replaced former Majority Leader Tom DeLay in a Republican-leaning Houston-area district, is among the co-sponsors of the bill, along with Democrats from Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, who are considered vulnerable in the November elections.

It’s sort of cute that Rep. Lampson thinks that co-sponsoring a bill on DC’s gun rights will hide his otherwise Pelosi-like record in the House of Representatives. However, with an ACU rating of 20%, it will be hard for Rep. Lampson to square his deep blue votes with his deep red campaign rhetoric. If the people of Texas’ 22nd District send Pete Olson to Washington in his place, this is something they’ll never have to worry about.